ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis sophomore forward Robbie Kristo (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway
North) claimed National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
third-team All-America honors. In addition, sophomore defender Anthony Manning (Mesquite,
Texas/Mesquite) landed on the NSCAA All-Region first team, while freshman
midfielder David Graydon (Kildare,
Ireland/Montverde Academy) earned
second-team All-Region plaudits from the NSCAA.
Kristo
earns the program's 76th All-American honor in the Billikens' illustrious
history. He is the first player to receive All-America honors since Tim Ream was named to the NSCAA third
team in 2009.
A MAC
Hermann Trophy semifinalist, Kristo led SLU in scoring with 27 points (11G,
5A), the most points by a Billiken since 2008. A first-team All-Conference
selection, Kristo scored five goals and Atlantic 10 Conference play and was
named to the A-10 All-Championship team after helping the Billikens to the A-10
crown.
Among
Kristo's 11 goals were three game-winners, including the golden goal in double
overtime against VCU in the regular season. He had three consecutive games in
which he recorded a goal and an assist, and he scored the Bills' goal against
Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA Tournament.
Manning, a second-team All-Conference pick, was a mainstay
on a Billiken defense that was tied for first in the A-10 in shutouts (nine)
and second in the league in goals allowed (0.86).
Graydon, who was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team, started
every game in the midfield. He finished with 11 points on two goals and a
team-high seven assists. Both of his tallies went for game winners.
In 2012, SLU advanced to the NCAA Tournament and registered
16 victories, the most since the 2001 club posted 18. As the No. 2 seed in the
A-10 Tournament, the Billikens won three games in four days to secure their
first A-10 title since 2009.
The Billikens received the No. 8 national seed in the NCAA
Tournament, which resulted in a first-round bye. Additional highlights during
the 2012 slate include the Billikens entering the national rankings, as well as
recording their best RPI ranking ever. In addition, SLU had four victories
against ranked foes.
